As reservoir storage dips to 25 per cent, Maharashtra prioritises drinking water supply

With reservoir levels lower than last year due to deficient rainfall Maharashtra Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has directed officials to accord the highest priority to ensuring drinking water supply across the state until August 31He also ordered strict action against illegal water extraction and called for coordinated efforts to manage available water resourcesThe directives were issued during a highlevel review meeting held at the Irrigation Building in Pune to assess water storage in reservoirs under the Krishna and Godavari basins and review the monsoon situationSenior officials from the Water Resources Department including representatives of the Krishna Valley Development Corporation and Godavari Irrigation Development Corporation attended the meetingStates usable water storage at 25 per centAccording to officials Maharashtras total usable water storage currently stands at 3575 TMC or 25 per cent of capacity which is lower than the corresponding period last yearThe shortfall has been attributed to belownormal rainfall and poor inflows into reservoirs during the current seasonExpressing concern over the situation Vikhe Patil directed officials to closely monitor water availability particularly in the Pune region where storage levels are significantly lower than last year He stressed that drinking water needs must take precedence over all other uses until reservoir levels improveWater reserved for Pune and PimpriChinchwad till AugustendThe minister instructed authorities to reserve adequate water to ensure an uninterrupted supply for nearly 85 million residents of the Pune and PimpriChinchwad metropolitan regions until the end of AugustHe also ordered an immediate review of water availability in dams reservoirs and major water sources across Marathwada and the Krishna basin to earmark sufficient reserves for drinking purposesTo tackle the emerging water challenge the Water Resources Department district administrations municipal corporations zilla parishads and water supply agencies have been asked to prepare a coordinated action plan focused on water conservation and efficient distributionNashik and Marathwada storage levels under scrutinyDuring the review officials informed the minister that usable water storage stands at 26 per cent in the Nashik region and 28 per cent in Marathwada where rainfall has remained below expectations Vikhe Patil directed authorities to carefully regulate water use in these regions and prioritise drinking water requirementsHe further instructed officials to ensure judicious utilisation of water in reservoirs across Nashik Ahilyanagar Pune and Marathwada until substantial fresh inflows are received Given the uncertainty surrounding the progress of the southwest monsoon districtspecific contingency plans focusing on drinking water supply drought mitigation and protection of water resources will be preparedStrict action against illegal water extractionThe minister also called for greater public awareness regarding responsible water use and urged local administrations to encourage citizens to utilise available water only for essential purposesldquoAvailable water must first be used for drinking purposes To curb illegal water extraction special enforcement drives should be conducted through joint teams of the Revenue Police and Water Resources departmentsrdquo Vikhe Patil said directing officials to take stringent action against violations